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State ag outreach briefs Pine County commissioners on spongy moth and emerald ash borer management for 2025
Summary
Minnesota Department of Agriculture staff outlined proposed 2025 mating‑disruption treatment for spongy moth in the Nemadji State Forest area of Pine County and summarized the state’s emerald ash borer quarantine and local management options.
Jennifer Berlieton, outreach coordinator in the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Plant Protection Division, told the Pine County Board of Commissioners that the department proposes mating‑disruption treatment for an estimated 4,608 acres in the Nemadji State Forest in 2025 to limit spongy moth spread.
Berlieton described the insect and its life cycle to the board, saying the caterpillar stage causes damage and that “each caterpillar consumes about a square foot of leaves per day.” She explained that proposed aerial mating‑disruption uses an EPA‑certified synthetic pheromone product (SPLAT‑GM) that is applied by aircraft and is intended to prevent males from locating females and reduce reproduction.
The department said it will notify residents in proposed treatment areas by postcard, put legal notices in newspapers, notify emergency personnel and hospitals, offer public meetings, and provide email and text alerts the day before and the morning of aerial applications. Staff said the planes fly low — approximately 100 to 150 feet above the treetops — and that treatment blocks can require multiple aircraft and multiple days depending on weather and block size.
Berlieton said the state uses trapping (pheromone traps) across eastern Minnesota to identify reproducing populations and that, without management, spongy moth would be expected to spread farther across the region over decades. The department contrasted mating disruption (pheromone) blocks with targeted Btk (Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki) insecticide treatments; residents inside insecticide blocks are notified directly about that product.
On emerald ash borer (EAB), Berlieton summarized the state’s quarantine approach: Minnesota maintains regulated areas that restrict movement of ash wood, lumber, mulch and firewood to limit artificial spread; an external quarantine prevents regulated material from entering Minnesota from outside the state. The presenter cautioned that while individual ash trees can be protected with treatment, there is no practical large‑scale eradication method; long‑term management typically shifts to removal of infested and hazardous trees and replanting with diverse species.
Commissioners asked operational questions about the proposed aerial work: whether private property is treated and how residents are notified; how long a given county block would take to treat; and whether staffing for notification and spotter planes would be in place. Berlieton said postcards are mailed to everyone in proposed treatment areas and that her office staffs a report‑a‑pest hotline during treatments.
Berlieton urged residents to report egg masses, caterpillars or unexplained tree decline via the state’s report‑a‑pest hotline or the online EdMaps/Report a Pest tools. She also listed DNR and urban forestry grant programs and other county‑level resources that can help communities cover tree removal or replanting costs.
The board did not vote on the proposed treatment; members were offered the state contact information and notification options and were added to the state’s email/text notification list on request.
